Pneumatic-despatch apparatus.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

C. P. STODDARD.

PNEUMATICI DESPATGH APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 5, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

s x m No. 775,949., Patented November 29, 1904.

lllivifrie Smarts airrrvi Orrick,

CHARLES F. STODDARD, Ol? BOSTON, b/IASSACI'IUSEIIS ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PNEUMATIC SERVICE COMPANY, OF DOI/ER, DELANARE, p A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PNEUMATlC-DESPATCH APPARATUS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,949, dated November 29, 1904.

Application filed October 5, 1903. Serial No. 175,832. (No model.)

To all whom. t litany con/cern: l again Opens On the Opposite side alittle Way, Be it known that I, CHARLES F. tirocinio),i thereby allowing' a small amount o't air to oi' Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State passthrough it -into the chamber between the 50 of Massachusetts, have invented certain new valves back of the carrier, blowing the carand useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Derier out through the outer valve onto the respatch Apparatus, of which the following is ceiving-table. As the carrier passes onto the a specification. receiving-table it engages an arm which is My inventionrelates to pneumatic-despatch connected with the piston ol the eontrollingapparatus, especially to receivingterminals cylinder and nieves this arm so as to throw IO for taking the carriers out of the line under said piston to the opposite position, thereby pressure. In this apparatus there is a grated moving the controlling-valve toI its opposite T, through which the carriers pass into the reposition, thereby reversing the pressure in ceiving-chamber, at each end of which a the main cylinder, which operates the n'ia- 60 .revolving gate operated by a series of cranks chine, throwing it back to the normal posi- T5 and connecting-rods connected to a piston tion ready to receive another carrier.

which operates a cylinder. The valves are My invention consists oi' certain novelt'eaconstructed so that they have considerable tures hereinafter described, and particularly motion while closing the line tightly, which pointed out in the claims.. makes it possible to operate them so that one In the accompanying' drawings, which illus- 2O will always be closed, thereby keeping the trate aconstruction embodying my invention, air under pressure in the line from escaping Figure l is a longitudinal section through the into the atmosphere, The machine operates receivingterminal with the valves in their likealock, one gate being open normally, the normal position ready to receive a carrier. other one closed. The carrier comes through Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the 25 the grated 'l' and through the first valve, receiving-terminal with the valves in position which is normally open, and cushions in the l to despatch a carrier onto the table. chamber between the valves, coming to a l Like letters of reference refer to like parte. stop. rl`he controlling-cylinder is connected throughout both views.

on one side with the forward end of the re l A is the transmission-tube, and A the 30 ceiving-chamber and on the other side with grated T, which is supplied with openings the rear end ofthe receiving-chamber, so that A2, tl'irough which the air passes by the pipe Al. when a carrier enters the chamber and eomf A| is the inner revolving valve, and A the presses the air in front of it the compressed receiving-chamber oi' the terminal. Ai is the 80 air forces the piston of this controlling-cylouter revolving valve. The valve A" swings 3 5 inder to the opposite side, thereby operating on the shalt AT andthe valve A swings on the the controlling-valve of the piston-chamber, shaft AS. which admits air to the proper end oi' the A9 is a support `for the outer end oi' themacylinder to throw the-piston to the opposite chine. end, thereby operatingthe valves, which both B is a crank rigidly connected to the sha-ift 40 move at the same time. The port through A7 for the purpose of revolving the valve A". the revolving member ol' each valve is prog The connecting-rod B is connected with the portioned relative to the size of this member, l erankB at B. so that the valve in turning' over will remain l BG is a piston oi' the cylinder B7, to which 90 closed for a given part el its movement. is rigidly connected the piston-rod B5, te

45 When the valves have moved to their extreme l which at one end on the cross-head Bl is pivposition, the outer one is opened, while the otally connected the rod at B3, adapted to inner one 1s closed and moved so far that it i slide 1n the ginde F, secured to one side ot certain amount of air enters and drives the l carrier out from the chamber A5 and the opt eration, as previously described, takes place. l lVith the parts in the position shown in l, Fig. 1 the pressure entering through the pipe G7 holds the piston C5 in the position-shown and into which it has been moved upon the discharge of a carrier, and as the carrier closes the mouth of the pipe C the air compressed which connect it with the piston-valve chamahead of it enters through the pipe C'l and ber C, so that when the pistons D5 D move moves the parts into the position shown in from one end to the other of their stroke Fig. 2.

they reverse the supply and exhaust ot' air Having thus ascertained the nature of my from the cylinder B7. The port C5 commul invention and set forth a construction emnicates with a suitable source of compressed bodying the same, what l claim as new, and air. The pistons D5 D6 are rigidly connected desire to secure by Letters Patent of the to the piston-rod D4, which is in turn rigidly VUnited States, is

connected to the piston C5of the controllingl. In an apparatus of the character decylinder C". One end of the controlling-cylscribed, a terminal` a transmission -tube, a

the receiving-chamber A5. To the opposite l end of the piston-rod B5 is pivotally connected the rod C2 at C5 on the cross-head B5, adapted to slide in the guide B5, secured on one side of the receiving-chamber A5. The c rod C2 at its other end is connected at C/ to l the crank C, connected rigidly to the shaft A8, which revolves the valve A5. The cylinder B7 is supplied with the ports D and D',

inder C5 is connected with the outer end of valve for closing said terminal to the atmosthe receiving-chamber A5 by means of the phere and normally closed, a valve for closing pipe Ct. The opposite end of the controllingcommunication between the terminal and the cylinder C5 is connected with the inner end of transmission-tube and normallyT open, mechthe receiving-chamber A5 by means of the anism common to said valves for operating pipe C5. The lever E is pivoted at E in such the same, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder a way that when it is in the position shown connected to said mechanism, an air-supply in Fig. 2 the end E5 projects down into the for operating said piston to move said valves, path of the carrier when it is on its way a valve controlling the ow of air from said through the tube E5 to the receiving-table. air-supply to said cylinder for operating This lever E is pivotally connected to the rod y said piston, a controlling-cylinder communi- D7 at D, and the rod D7 is in turn pivotally l cating with said terminal, and a piston in said connected with the piston-rod Di at D5. controlling.-cylinder for operating said aircontrolling valve and normally held by the pressure in the terminal to allow the air-supply to operate said valve mechanism and open the Valve between the terminal and the transmission-tube and close the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere, and adapted to be operated by the air compressed by the carrier in the terminal and to move the said aircontrolling valve to allow the air-supply to close the valve between the terminal and the transmission-tube and to open the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere to allow the discharge ot' the carrier.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a terminal, a transmission-tube, a valve for closing said terminal to the atmosphere and normally closed, a valve for closing communication between the terminal and the transmission-tube and normally open, mechanism common to said valves for operating the same, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder connected to said mechanism, an air-supply for operating said piston to move said valves, a valve cont-rolling the flow of air from said air supply to said cylinder for operating said piston, a controlling-cylinder communicating with said terminal, a piston in said controlling-cylinder for operating said air-controlling valve and normally held by the pressure in the terminal to allow the air-supply to operate said valve mechanism and open the valve between the terminal and the transmislith the parts in the position shown in Fig. l the carrier coming through the transmission-tube A passes through the way D2 of the valve E* and compresses the air between it and the valve A5, which compressed air passes up through the pipe C7 and moves the piston C5 from the postion shown in Fig. l to that shown in Fig. Q', thereby reversing the positions of the piston-valves D5 D5, so that the compressed air passes through the port D into the cylinder BT and moves the piston BG to the position shown in Fig. 2. This movement of the piston B5 throughthe connecting-rod C5 moves the valve A to the position shown in Fig. Q and likewise the valve AJe to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the carrier passes through the way D3 and valve AG through the tube E2, striking the end E5 of the lever E, which moves the rod D7 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. l and with it the piston O5, which moves the piston-valves D5 D5 to the position shown in Fig. l, and the compressed air entering the cylinder BT moves the piston BG to the position shown in Fig. l, reversing the valves through the cross-rods C2 B2 to the position shown in Fig. l, ready for another operation.

It will be noted that in the position shown in Fig. l the valve A* does not entirely close the communication between the air-line pressure in the tube A, and the receiving-chamber A5 has opening E* E5, through which a IOO IIO

sion-tube and close the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere, and adapted to be operated by the air compressed by the carrier in the terminal and to move said air-controlling valve to allow the air-supply to close the valve between the terminal and the transmission-tube and to open the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere to allow the discharge of the carrier, and a device located in the path of the carrier beyond the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere and adapted to be operated by the dischargingcarrier 't'or returning said controlling-piston to its normal position and for reversing the air-controlling valve to allow the air-supply to operate s aid valve mechanism and open the valve between the terminal and the transmission-tube and to close the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere.

3. ln an apparatus of the character described, a terminal, a transmission-tube, a valve for closing said terminal to the atmosphere and normally closed, a valve for closing communication between the terminal and the transmission-tube and normally open, mechanism common to said valves for operating' the same a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder connected to said mechanism, an air-supply Jr'or operating said piston to move said valves, a valve controlling' the iiow of air from said air-supply to said cylinder for operating said piston, a controlliiig-cylinder communicating' with said terminal, and a piston in said controlling-cylinder for operating said air-controlling valve and normally held by the pressure in the terminal to allow the air-supply to operate said valve mechanism and open the valve between the terminal and the transmission-tube and partially close the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere, and adapted to be operated by the air compressed by the carrier in the terminal and to move the said air-controlling' valve to allow the air-supply to close the valve between the terminal and tilt the transmission-tube and to open the valve between the terminal and the atmosphere ll'o allow the discharge of the carrier.

4L. In an apparatus ot' the character de scribed, a terminal, a transmission -tube, a valve for closing said terminal to the atmosphere and normally closed, a valve for closing communication between the terminal and the transmissiontube and normally open, said valves having a port through which the carriers pass proportioned relatively to the chamber in which they revolve so 'that after the valve closes it may continue to move and still remain closed, mechanism common to said valves for operating the sama a cylinder,. a piston in said cylinder connected to said mech' anism, an air-supply for operating said piston4 to move said valves, and a valve controlling' the ilow of air lfrom said air-supply to said cylinder for operating said piston.

ln an apparatus ot the character described, a terminal, a transmission-tube, a valve for closing' said terminal to the atmosphere and normally closed a valve `for closing communication between the terminal and the transmission-tube and normally open, said valves having' a port through which the car* riers pass proportioned relatively to the chamber in which they revolve so that after the valve closes it may continue to move and still remain closed, mechanism common to said valves for operating the same, an air-smjmly .for operating said mechanism to nieve said valves, and a valve controlling the flow oit' air from said air-supply jfor oigierating said mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specilication1 in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses, this 17 th day o't September,

GlLiRLES F. S'lUDDARD. Witnesses:

A. L. lvlnssnn, E. L. Hannon. 

